Damascus-SANA
Damascus Governorate, in cooperation with a number of concerned authorities and the Syrian Trust for Development, continues the restoration work that it is carrying out in the Sulaymaniyah Hospice, to stop the deterioration in the technical condition that it was suffering from, which threatens the collapse of parts of it.
The Governor of Damascus, Engineer Muhammad Tariq Krishati, confirmed in a statement to reporters during his tour today in the hospice that after the restoration of the Sulaymaniyah hospice, the craftsmen will return to parts of it, to be a cultural, heritage, historical and tourist destination, pointing out that the current technical status of it and the nature of the damage in its structure, both in Ceilings, columns, walls, or floors is the result of many years of accumulation before the war, and it got worse during it.
Krishati explained that the restoration required very accurate technical studies and high expertise in the field of heritage restoration, and the governorate sought the help of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums and its expert cadres, in addition to national institutions specialized in preserving and protecting heritage places, led by the Syrian Trust for Development, which provided its accumulated experience over many years in The field of preservation and protection of tangible and intangible heritage.
Krishati pointed out that the restoration of the hospice will be based on its identity and its architectural, historical and cultural character, and it will preserve this identity and add something of the imprint of the time we are in now, and it will also preserve the basic function of the hospice as a historical and heritage landmark, indicating that the governorate is restoring the heritage Surouji market and is also in partnership with The Aga Khan Cultural Foundation and its great experience in the heritage field have restored a number of heritage houses in Old Damascus.
In turn, the director of the restoration works in the Sulaymaniyah hospice, Anton Shniara, confirmed that the strategy of the hospice restoration project is based on finding solutions to all problems related to the needs of the ancient buildings in terms of operating services in a correct manner, based on their identity and their architectural, historical and cultural character.
Shinyara explained that the site of the hospice, which is adjacent to the course of the Barada River, was subjected during the past decades to a drop in the groundwater level due to the scarcity of water sources, which led to erosion of the soil layers below the foundation level of the buildings and resulted in large declines, the effects of which appeared in the form of cracks and fissures in many of the hospice’s ceilings and domes and its columns. and its walls.
Shenyara added: There are a number of geological reasons, as the masses added to the ancient buildings during the past decades, including walls, rooms, buildings, public utilities, and sanitation that are not connected to the main network, increased the load on the place, which accelerated cracks and cracks in its walls and ceilings.
The Director General of the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, Nazeer Awad, indicated that the restoration project is national and important, because it was carried out in a timely manner before the deterioration of the building condition in the hospice and the occurrence of collapses and collapses in the structural structure, explaining that the reports that were prepared on the status of the hospice were referring to critical conditions in the buildings. which falls within the hospice, despite all the emergency solutions that have been taken.
And Awad indicated that the project was prepared in cooperation with a group of institutions in a systematic and scientific manner and in accordance with international methodologies, using very modern materials and technologies to preserve the building’s historical, urban and heritage identity, pointing out that historical stone buildings need a long time, especially when complex construction problems arise that need studies. In addition to the economic blockade that prevents the arrival of a number of technologies needed in the restoration process.
Muhannad Suleiman
